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Charges reduced against 3 facing prosecution in man’s death during admission to psychiatric hospital
Second-degree murder charges against two sheriff’s deputies and a hospital worker have been reduced to involuntary manslaughter in the death of a Virginia man who was pinned to the floor for about 11 minutes while being admitted to a state psychiatric hospital. The downgrading of the charges in the 2023 death of Irvo Otieno comes just weeks after prosecutors withdrew charges against five other sheriff’s deputies, a move criticized by Otieno’s family.
Newport News seeks commitment from U.S. Navy on downtown military housing
Newport News recently secured a commitment from the state for a $40 million loan to support construction of U.S. Navy housing downtown, but the city is awaiting the Navy’s response on the project’s next steps. The city’s intergovernmental affairs manager, Jerri Wilson, said Tuesday to her knowledge, the Navy has yet to officially commit to a specific course of action for downtown housing in Newport News. State and local officials previously stated the Navy could contribute up to $400 million to house sailors and revitalize downtown.
New poll shows Biden and Trump tied in Virginia
Virginia could be a battleground state in the upcoming presidential election, according to a Roanoke College poll released Wednesday. The poll showed President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are tied (42% to 42%) in a head-to-head matchup in the commonwealth, while Biden holds a two-point lead (40% to 38%) when other candidates are included.
Groups criticize environmental justice approach in Virginia
Some environmental justice advocates in Virginia have denounced recent actions by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin that they say undermine efforts to protect vulnerable communities in the state. The governor has appointed a half-dozen members to the Virginia Council on Environmental Justice whose professional or business interests, advocates say, may put them at odds with the council’s mission. He also recently vetoed a bill that would have given the council additional authority and more funding to travel around the state to communities affected by environmental justice concerns.
McDonald Sentenced to 14 Years in EDA Case
After hearing slightly over two hours of prosecution and defense arguments in support of their conflicting sentencing recommendations—22 years by the prosecution, six years by the defense—Western District of Virginia federal Judge Elizabeth K. Dillon went down the middle, sentencing former Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority Executive Director Jennifer McDonald to 14 years in prison for her role in the circa-2014 to 2018 EDA “financial scandal.”
Henry County plant remains open in wake of Teal-Jones bankruptcy filing
Teal-Jones Group filed for bankruptcy and was granted creditor protection on April 25. The company, with headquarters in Canada and operations in Henry County, obtained a Provisional Recognition Order from the U.S. Court for the District of Delaware under Chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, according to a news release issued May 24. ... "County staff was informed by the company of the filing in Canada," said Henry County Administrator Dale Wagoner. "I understand that the local facility has been profitable, and after a brief furlough, the company has ramped back up to full production locally."
Roanoke College hires contractor after ‘cancer cluster’ allegation
Roanoke College will partner with an environmental services contractor to investigate claims that the university has a higher-than-average cancer rate. School President Frank Shushok Jr. issued a statement to students Tuesday in response to the publication of an article in “Air Mail,” a weekly digital newsletter, written by reporter Clara Molot, alleging that the university cancer incidence rates are five times higher than that of 20- to 29-year-olds in the country.
Home value disparities are displacing residents of Richmond’s Black neighborhoods
Some Richmond neighborhoods lost between 18% and 45% of their Black residents in the last decade due to rising housing costs and gentrification, according to a new report out Thursday. Decades of racist homelending policies and present-day bias in home appraisal have undervalued many Black Richmonders’ homes. That’s now pushing some longterm residents out of their communities. The report studying disparities in home value is from Richmond-based nonprofit Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia, which used metro-area research from the Brookings Institute, city tax assessment data and American Community Survey demographics census stats.
Yancey: Is Virginia really in play? Roanoke College poll shows why presidential race is tied
A few weeks ago, NBC News reported that three top advisers to former President Donald Trump (including Virginia political veteran Chris LaCivita) had told donors at a closed-door meeting that both Virginia and Minnesota — two states now regularly counted in the Democratic column — were in play in 2024. At the time, I saw a lot of pushback from Virginia Democrats on social media, saying there’s no way the Old Dominion would be up for grabs this year. A new poll by Roanoke College that came out Wednesday suggests otherwise.
Biden, Trump tied in Virginia, Roanoke College poll says
Five months before the presidential election, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump for the first time are tied in a head-to-head matchup in Virginia, while Biden holds a 2-point lead when other candidates are included, according to a new poll released Wednesday by the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College. The survey found that 42% of voters would back Biden and 42% Trump in a head-to-head matchup, while Biden would lead Trump 40% to 38% with third-party candidates in the race.